Busway plans move a step closer

The Busway is a network of routes that only buses can use

Proposals for a new busway connecting Cambridge and Waterbeach have moved a step closer.

Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed to submit a Transport for Works Act Order for the project.

It is an order that is required before any new busway, railway or tramline is built in England.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership, which will deliver the project, said it expected the order to be made later this year with a public inquiry sometime in 2026.

The proposed route will start at the existing busway next to Cambridge Regional College.

It will then connect with Milton Park & Ride and Landbeach via farmland, before Linking with a new travel hub in Waterbeach. That hub is proposed to have space for 1,600 cars.

The plans also include upgrades to existing roads like Butt Lane and Landbeach Road.

New junctions, like this one on Landbeach Road, will be built

At a meeting this week, Sarah Nicholas, from conservation charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future, urged councillors to reconsider the route.

She said they would prefer to see a bus route next to the existing A10 road to avoid "two miles of countryside being damaged".

Elisa Meschini, Labour chairwoman of the of the GCP, said an on-road route had been explored, but it was rejected for a number of reasons, including signal upgrades and the impact it would have on residential properties.

Speaking after the meeting, Meschini said it was "an important moment" for the project.

"The adjoining walking and cycling path gives people more travel choices, making it quicker, easier and more reliable to get to where you need to go," she said.

Other transport projects, including relocating Waterbeach railway station, are also being planned as part of the New Town Development.

Once completed the town is expected to have about 11,000 homes.